Buckley’s confession leaves Lynch outraged

GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA - JULY 09: Tom Lynch of the Suns looks on during the round 16 AFL match between the Gold Coast Suns and the Brisbane Lions at Metricon Stadium on July 9, 2016 in Gold Coast, Australia. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)

Out-of-contract Suns spearhead Tom Lynch was reportedly “greatly angered” by Nathan Buckley’s public admission that Collingwood had secured a meeting with him earlier in the year.

The Herald Suns’ Sam Edmund is reporting that the fallout from Buckley’s comments, which inadvertently led to Lynch being stripped of his captaincy, banished from the club and have his character questioned, has led to the gun forward feeling “shocked’ and “irritated”.

Buckley was asked on Nine Network’s Footy Classified in July whether not he’d met with Lynch, which he replied: “Yes… a while back.”

Lynch grew up a Collingwood supporter with his family in the Mornington Peninsula, but Buckley’s confession might have cost the Pies their chances of landing the star free agent.

Magpies list boss Ned Guy met with Lynch at his family home just a few days after the comments to reportedly clarify them, at which time time the 25-year old’s loyalty was was already being attacked.

“The amount of bidding and salesmanship that is going on at the moment is extreme.

“Nathan Buckley told the football world that late last month on Footy Classified, which I might add is all you can ask for as a consumer of our game is honesty and transparency, but it’s not what Tom Lynch was asking for.

“The game is not ready, we are not mature enough to deal with this at the moment as an industry.

“It unloaded a whole heap of crap on Tom Lynch’s doorstep, he was obviously stripped of the captaincy, banned from the football department, having questions asked of him by younger teammates about loyalty, all the things you don’t want.”

Lynch officially becomes a free agent in October, with Richmond, Collingwood and Hawthorn considered the frontrunners to sign him.